Former President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders mocked Democrats and activists calling for change at the National Rifle Association's annual convention on Friday.

The gathering in Houston this weekend is 280 miles east of Uvalde, Texas, where a teenager killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school on Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials in Uvalde acknowledged that they had waited too long to enter the classroom where a student was shooting children and teachers, just hours before top Republicans were scheduled to speak in Houston.

However, Trump and other Republicans made no mention of these errors or their implications for proposals to place more armed police officers and teachers in schools.

Trump called for a series of measures in his speech that largely mirrored what other Republicans had proposed throughout the day, including schools with a single entryway and armed guards stationed there, as well as exit-only fire escapes. He also stated that some teachers should be permitted to carry firearms.

"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the former President said.

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"14 acres of guns and gear"

US' split was on full display in downtown Houston, as protesters waved signs and shouted at NRA members as they entered the George R. Brown Convention Center for their meeting and exposition.

It's been three years since the NRA's last convention, which was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and thousands of people descended on Houston to show their support for the right to hold guns and to shop in the massive exposition hall.

The NRA went big for its Texas meeting to commemorate its 150th anniversary, with a sign outside the convention center promising "14 acres of guns and gear."

There were guns of all shapes and sizes on display, from antique pistols to automatic weapons, some camouflaged and others with American flags. Hundreds of vendors set up shop for the weekend, selling ammunition and various gun accessories.

Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the NRA canceled its exposition in nearby Denver. Despite the fact that Uvalde is only about 300 miles away, the exposition went on as planned this year, with the exception of Daniel Defense, the company that manufactured the weapon used in the Robb Elementary School shooting.

Thousands gathered outside the convention center to protest gun control advocacy groups Moms Demand Action and March for Our Lives, as well as local teachers' unions, Black Lives Matter chapters, and the Harris County Democratic Party.

Across the street from the NRA convention: “Am I next?” pic.twitter.com/bEl9vLY6gG

— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) May 27, 2022

Many in attendance were outraged that the NRA would hold its convention just days after a school shooting in the state.

The protesters' signs reflected the rawness of their feelings following the Uvalde shooting, which occurred in a state that has seen a series of mass shootings in recent years, including 26 people killed at a church in Sutherland Springs in 2017 and 22 killed at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019 by a gunman targeting Latinos.

In speeches and interviews, those protesting in Houston on Friday focused on guns. Many people advocated for a ban on the sale of assault rifles.

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